This is a list of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations, as identified by the organizations themselves, government authorities in their respective countries, or other independent authorities. This article includes entities that are engaged in higher education accreditation or have been identified as being accreditors, but which lack appropriate recognition or authorization.

Prerequisites and rules for higher education accreditation vary from country to country. In most countries, the function of quality assurance for higher education institutions is conducted by a government ministry of education.[1] However in the United States, educational accreditation is performed primarily by private nonprofit membership associations,[2] the legitimacy of which is validated through recognition by the United States Department of Education (USDE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or both.[3] USDE and CHEA recognize many of the independent accrediting organizations, but not all. Accreditors seek USDE or CHEA recognition for different reasons; for example, USDE recognition is required for accreditors whose institutions or programs seek eligibility for federal student aid funds. CHEA recognition confers an academic legitimacy on accrediting organizations, helping to solidify the place of these organizations and their institutions and programs in the national higher education community.[4]

Often, a school relying on accreditation from an unrecognized accrediting body will not be viewed as legitimate in the academic community.[5] Institutional accreditation is usually required by US institutions to receive federal government funds.[1] Also, students who attend institutions of higher education that are accredited through organizations not recognized by the USDE or CHEA do not qualify for US government financial aid.[1] Similarly, employers or graduate programs cannot be confident that graduates of an unaccredited institution or program will be appropriately prepared.[6]

To assist education consumers, several national and international bodies publish lists of recognized accreditation bodies and accredited educational institutions, as well as lists of other accreditors that are known to lack the necessary legal authority or recognition, and higher education providers known to lack accreditation.[7] The United States organization CHEA maintains an international directory of education ministries and other recognized higher education quality assurance bodies worldwide. The 2007 version of that directory lists 467 recognized bodies in 175 countries.[8]

Many, but not all, of the entities in the list below are considered to be fraudulent accreditation mills that were set up to help diploma mills lure students and whose "accreditation" has no legal or academic value. Some diploma and degree mills have played a role in creating these accrediting bodies as well. These diploma and degree mills may further confuse matters by claiming to consider work history, professional education, or previous learning, and may even require the submission of a purported dissertation or thesis, in order to give an added appearance of legitimacy.[9] Some other listed entities are religious accreditation bodies, whose accreditation may have doctrinal significance but lacks recognized academic value.[10]

Also included are some organizations that do not offer educational accreditation but have been falsely identified as accrediting bodies by organizations that claim to have been accredited by them. A notable example of this last type is UNESCO, which does not have authority to recognize or accredit higher education institutions or agencies.[7] Nonetheless, because diploma mills have claimed false UNESCO accreditation, UNESCO itself has published warnings against education organizations that claim UNESCO recognition or affiliation.[7][11]

International Association for Distance Learning (IADL) - IADL states that it does not accredit institutions unless they "are licensed or approved by national or regional government or are already accredited by a nationally or internationally recognised organisation or body"[52] and that it has no government affiliation,[53] but IADL has been claimed as an accreditor by institutions lacking standard licensing, approval or accreditation.

UNESCO[7] (UNESCO states that they do not have the power to accredit any higher education institutions or agencies; as a consequence, institutions or agencies claiming to be recognized by UNESCO should be looked upon with suspicion)

^The University of Northern Virginia, which claims accreditation from the American University Accreditation Council (formerly identified as the American Council of University Accreditation), states on its websiteArchived 2010-07-23 at the Wayback Machine that "AUAC is not recognized by the US Department of Education as an accrediting body and is a non-CHEA accreditation agency for the U.S. schools with international programs." (Accessed October 10, 2010)

^Tom Bartlett, Karin Fischer, and Josh Keller, Little-Known Colleges Exploit Visa Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 20, 2011. Identifies the organization as "not recognized by the Department of Education." "Drive to the address on the contact page and ... you'll find a bustling auto-body repair shop. That shop, it turns out, is owned by Gary Zhu, acting chairman of the board at UNVA."

^"AICCS Disclaimer". Association of Independent Christian Colleges & Seminaries. Retrieved 30 January 2011. "Because of the AICCS Board of Directors' convictions in support of religious freedom, Christian liberty, and the separation of church and state, AICCS has never applied for affiliation with any federal government agency. AICCS, therefore, is not recognized by the United States Department of Education."

^ abAssociation of International Education Assessors and its affiliate, the Council for Distance Education Accreditation, are based in the United States (Murfreesboro, Tennessee), but their website statesArchived 2008-02-14 at the Wayback Machine that the organization "is not listed with any government agency or the U.S. Department of Education."

^ ab"Minutes, CHEA Board of Directors Meeting, January 22, 2001". CHEA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2006. At its September 25, 2000 meeting, the board of directors accepted the committee on recognition's recommendation that the American Denturitry Association Council on Denturitry Education Commission on Denturitry Accreditation be deemed ineligible to be considered for CHEA recognition.

^About UsArchived 2013-08-17 at the Wayback Machine, Accreditedu.org, accessed August 6, 2012. States "Education International is applying for recognition and/or listing with" several governments.

^Bogus university boasts web of institutes from Kenya to Malaysia, Independent.ie, November 13, 2005. The newspaper phoned the EQAC; the call was answered on a mobile phone in Spain by a respondent who could not answer the questions. The University of Aberdeen is listed on the EQAC website as an accredited institution, but a university spokesperson said: "We have never heard of that commission. They may have listed us on their website, but we certainly haven't gone through any formal process to gain accreditation."

^Although based in the United States (Helena, Montana), the Hygienic Doctors Association official website states (in an FAQ) as its response to the question "Is The H.D.A. recognized by the Department of Education?" that "Current laws in the United States of America prohibit the recognition of global accreditation of associations and organizations," indicating its acknowledgment that it lacks recognition.

^IARC website states that its recognition "does not guarantee any sort of acceptance by any particular country or government" and its February 2008 newsletter states that IARC "derives its authority from its membership rather than government or any one particular industry body". (Website accessed March 11, 2008; spelling and punctuation are those used in the source.)

^According to the recognition page of the Calamus International University "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2007-07-17.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link), the IIAA is closing down operations at the end of May 2007.

^Ezell, Allen; Bear, John (2005). "Appendix E: Accreditation". Degree Mills: The Billion-dollar Industry That Has Sold Over A Million Fake Diplomas. Prometheus Books. ISBN978-1-59102-238-1. Here is a list of more than two hundred accrediting agencies that, as of late 2004, are not recognized by either CHEA or the US Department of Education. Inclusion on this list does not mean the accreditor is good or bad, real or fake, but only that it [is] not recognized by either of these two agencies. [...] Parlamento Mondiale per la Sicurazza e la Pace. Accreditor claimed by Senior University, Wyoming. It awards titles of nobility from an address in Palermo, Italy.

^"The Diploma Mafias - with a list of diploma factories worldwide". New Sabah. Iraq. Retrieved 2011-08-20. Rutherford University, a diploma factory first based in Canada, escaped to the American state of Wyoming two years ago, after the Canadian government had taken action against companies selling fake university diplomas. But after Wyoming invoked its higher education laws, the university decided it was better to leave America altogether and it is now selling its diplomas from Swaziland. Its website says the university is "fully accredited" by something called the "International States Parliament" which is also a joke. Other institutes which look like daughters of Rutherford University even claim to be accredited by the "Supreme Council of the Presidency of the International States Parliament" which is three times nothing.

^"What is Accreditation". National Accrediting Agency of Private Theological Institutions website. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012. National Accrediting Agency of Private Theological Institutions, in accordance with the inspired teaching of the Bible, has chosen not to seek endorsement from either the EAES or CHEA.

^The World-wide Accreditation Commission's website (accessed July 17, 2008) states: "The World Wide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institution, in accordance with the Inspired teaching of the Bible, has chosen not to seek endorsement with either the EAES or CHEA."